Cake of soap



July 22, 1941. c. WALLACE, JR 2,250,318

CAKE 0F SOAP Filed Feb. 23, 1940 5O 52 5O 5O 5O INVENTOR soap have. been Patented July 22, 1941 UNITED; STATES PATENT oFFiC-E; i.

- Q E FS :1. Charlton Wallace, in, Cincinnatl,- 'hlo; Application February 23, 1940, Serial no;; s zo.4cs

2 Claims. (01. 2 L134 "I'his inventionrelates to acakeor bar of soap and more particularly toa' cake of soap that is provided with a roughened or. undulated surface for agitating and massaging the ,surface to be cleaned. v

In the past, cakes of soap have generally been provided with a smoothwork engag flj lmce, excepting for ornamentaleflect found inthe exe be washed 'is' brought into contact 'with a rough or ridged surface for accelerating the washing "operation. This may be in the form of a washboard orribs in a washing machineand the like.

In other cases,'it may partakethe nature'of a vacuum cup or asuction cup, tending to'force treme outer-surface of the cake.-; Some types ofprovided with shallow marginal ribs or grooves, functioning as hand engaging surfaces, to facilitate themanipulation of the cake of soap. Furthermore, grooves have been used. to expeditethe drying of the molded cake. Such grooves may: also be used as trade-marks to identify the maker. All of these 'ribs and' grooves are superficial. W a 7 An object or this invention is to provide acake of soap having. bumps adapted to engage-the surface coming in contact with the cakeoi soap, which bumps have a washboard or scrubbing action upon the work to be washed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cake of soap with ribs for massaging the surface. Another object of this invention is to provide a cake of soap that is provided with ribs overlying grooves in the opposite side thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cake or soap that has been provided with work engaging corrugations."

Another object of this invention is to provide suction pockets in the cake of soap. 1

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a cake of soap.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a modification.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a topplan view of a modified cake of soap.

Figure 5 is a sectional on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

the'cleansingliquid or fluid throughthefmate- In the presentembodiment a" cake of soap has been providedwith ribs on'either sideof valleys or depressions. the ribs on one side of the cake being'disposed opposite the depression's'on' the b q j pp site side, so that the maximum thickness of "the material underlying a ribis located sub-= I stantially'on one side of a neutral plane of the utilized, the

, ribs will not be. completely worn downz'untii the cake of soap has been spent. i

of soap. maybe in grooves, or they may be in the form of annular or circular 'ribs overlying circular grooves, or

; they may consist'of'substantially cup-shaped bumps overlying depressions. The ribs and the valleys between the ribs function much the same as a washboard does when the cake of soap is rubbed over thematerial or the surface to be cleaned. when the cake of soap isprovided with 1 annular ribs or depressions, the grooves and ribs function similar to vacuum cups in creating a suction, expediting the washing. of the'surface to y be cleansed.

Cakes of soap are generally provided with a Referring to the drawing, the reference nu-' meral IO indicates a cake of corrugated soap, provided with parallel ribs i2 and grooves ll. Ribs l8, located on the opposite sideof the cake, are staggeredwith respect to the ribs i2 and underlie the grooves i4. Grooves i8 are'located bee tween the ribshli and positioned opposite the ribs ii. The number of ribs and the number of grooves ineach cake of soap is a matter of choice. In the modification disclosed inFigure 1. there are. two full ribs and two-full grooves on view taken substantially I either side and a flange 20 on the top and a flange 22 on the'botto'm. y

The ribs cooperate with the grooves to form a washboard eflect, so that as the cake is rubbed over the surface to be washed, the ribs will agi-' tate and massage the surface, thereby expediting the washing operation. It is to be noted that the depth of the cake of soap is substantially uniform throughout. In other words, the bottoms of the grooves on opposite sides are locatedv in a common plane indicated by the dotted line: 24-44, which willibe referred to as a neutral;

plane. By this arrangement, the ribs will not be completely worn off as long as any of the soap remains. The ribs will last for the life of the cake of soap. The cake of soap simulates a sheet of soap that has been corrugated.

In order to reenforce the cake, so as to give it rigidity, and in order to create closed recesses or pockets for creating a vacuum, transverse flanges II span the distance from rib to rib. There may be one flange adjacent each end on both sides. These flanges give the cake rigidity and at the same time create pockets between the flangesv functioning as vacuum cups. If the soap material is rigid and does not flex or bend, the flanges 30 may be eliminated. Of course, the elimination of the flanges in the embodiment disclosed in Figure 1, eliminates the suction cups formed by the grooves between the flanges.

In the modification disclosed in Figures 2 and 3, instead of parallel ribs extending across the cake, as shown in the preferred embodiment, the ribs are circular or annular On the top there is an annular rib 32 and an annular flange 34 on opposite sides of a groove 36. The rib 32 surrounds an annular recess or cavity 38. An annular pro- Jection or bump 40 is found in the center'underneath the cake. The annular projection 40 co operates with an annular rib 42 to form a groove 44. The number of ribs and grooves on the top and bottom of this roundcake of soap is a matter of choice. In this modification, as well 'as in the preferred embodiment, a rib on one side is always located opposite a recess ,or groove on the opposite side. The bottoms of the recesses or grooves on either sideare found in a neutral plane'indithe soap.

flcation, as well as in the preferred embodiment, the depth or the thickness of the cake is substantially uniform throughout. The ribs could be placed opposite ribs on the opposite side, adjacent ribs being held together with a suitable diaphragm or the like.

Referring to the modification disclosed in Figure 4. the cake of soap has been provided with bumps or nodes 50 located opposite recesses it. In this modification the depth of the cake is substantially uniform throughout. Instead of annular bumps or nodes, these may be hexagon, or any other suitable shape.

Although the preferred modification of the device has been described, it will be understood that withinthe purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A corrugated" cakeof soap having a substantially uniform thickness, the bottoms of the grooves on opposite sides ofthe cake lying in a neutral plane and flanges between the ridges, said fiangesextending from one ridge across to the other so as to reenforce the cake of soap and so as to form suction pockets between the ridges of 2. A cake of soap having a plurality of nodes 1 on both sides thereof; each of said nodes overlying a completely enclosed depression forming a suction pocket, said depression extending in from the side opposite the node, the depth of the nodes being substantially equal to the depth of the depressions so that the bottoms of the de pressions on opposite sides of the cake lie in a common plane.

CHARLTON WALLACE, Ja. 

